Machines for vending paper and pencils



Sept. 18, 1962 E. G. LOOMIS MACHINES FOR VENDING PAPER AND PENCILS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 29, 1961 WNQQ .5 mm W Li \MV mm m \la N Wu; w R .Qw A m6 .A fi W m am V E Nmv Sept. 18, 1962 E. G. LOOMIS 3,054,528

MACHINES FOR VENDING PAPER AND PENCILS Filed May 29, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Evarts Gloomrs ATTORNEY MM 1 n H w a k 5 i z 4 2 W m WW W m fi 8 w 6 3 122 7 W V, 3 G 7 7%! h 2 p w m \tttti 9 9926. :ww www ww United States 3,054,528 MACHINES FOR VENDHJG PAPER AND FENCES Evarts G. Loomis, Rte. 1, Box 398, Hemet, Calif. Filed May 29, 1961, Ser. No. 113,414 2 Claims. (Cl. 221-19) This invention relates to vending machines, and more particularly to a machine adapted for the dispensing of a writing implement, such as a pencil, and an accompanying sheet of writing paper.

At various locations, such as at points where telephones are located, in telephone booths, in airline or railway ticket oflices and in other places, the need for making notes such as writing down telephone numbers, addresses or other information is often urgent and most persons at that time deplore the absence of pencil and paper required to inscribe the information conveyed to them.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a machine of relatively simple construction which will, upon the deposit of a coin and the turn of a crank handle, provide a pencil or other writing implement and a sheet of writing paper.

It is an object of the invention to provide a machine of this kind which will be relatively small and compact and as a result one which can be installed in small space such as adjacent to a telephone booth or at such point Within the booth as space permits, or at any other located position as may be desired.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a casing containing a supply roll of writing paper and a substantial quantity of pencils or other writing implements. By the insertion of the required coin and the rotation of a shaft, such as by a crank, a pencil is delivered from the supply in the casing and a length of writing paper is delivered simultaneously. Locking means is provided for preventing tampering as well as preventing the insertion of a coin in the machine when the pencil supply in the hopper of the machine is exhausted.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is a front elev-ational view, with parts in section, and parts of the enclosing casing omitted to disclose interior construction, of a machine made in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view from below, with parts in section, of the coin gauging locking and release mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, in a reduced scale, taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view, in an enlarged scale, taken substantially on the line 44 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view through the pencildelivery mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a view showing how the delivery drum is locked when the pencil hopper is empty, and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view through the paper-feeding rollers;

The improved dispensing apparatus is housed within a sheet metal casing generally indicated at 1 and open at the top as well as at other locations as required for the insertion of the paper rolls and pencils and the removal of the deposited coins. The top of the casing 1 is closed by a cover member 2, hinged at 30, and provided with a suitable lock not shown. Other suitably closed openings 3,654,523 Patented Sept. 18, 1962 may be provided in the casing for inspection and service.

The casing is divided by a vertical partition 31, into a roll-containing chamber '32 and a hopper 33 in which a substantial quantity of pointed pencils 34 or other writing implements are stacked for successive delivery.

Normally, the interior mechanism of the apparatus is locked and stationary and the same is coin-controlled. At 6 is shown a rotative shaft, provided externally of the casing 1 with a crank arm 35, terminating in a handle 8, the shaft 6 being thus rotatable manually when rendered available for rotative movement by the insertion of a coin of the required denomination. Shaft 6 carries a gear 24 meshing with a gear 25, the latter gear being keyed on a rotative secondary shaft 7 located below and extending parallel to shaft 6. A pawl 36 (FIG. 3) engages gear 24 in a manner to allow the shaft 6 to be rotated only in a counter clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3. Keyed to the shaft 6 is a cylindrical member or drum 16 (FIGS. 4 and 5), having an outer keyway or groove 37 as clearly seen in FIG. 4.

The casing 1 includes a mounted housing 38 in which the shafts 6 and 7 are rotatively mounted, and said housing is provided with a slot 15 (FIG. 5) constituting the entrance for a coin. The slot 15 is normally closed by a gravity'controlled sliding door 10 having a lip 39 at its upper end, said lip constituting a finger piece by which the door 10 is manually raised to permit the insertion of a coin 15a (FIGS. 1 and 4) of suitable denomination in the slot 15. When the door 10 is manually raised as above described, a cam 18 provided on the inner surface of the door, forces a lug 40 on the end of a hinged lever 17, mounted on a pivotal shaft 28 rotative in housing 38, to engage with the slot 37 in the cylinder or drum 16. This looks shaft 6 and maintains it against rotative movement. Shaft 6 is additionally locked against rotative movement by means of a pair of spring-biased pawls 20 mounted on the shaft 28 and shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 and which pawls engage in the slot '37 as shown in FIG. 5, each of the pawls being biased toward such engaged position by a leaf spring 20a.

Shaft 7 is of square cross-sectional shape between its bearings as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 and it carries on this square portion a pair of spaced disks 21 and 22 which are rotative with the shaft 7 while being slidable axially on it. Each of the disks 21 and 22 has an outer flanged end 41 (FIG. 2, and the inner or facing ends of the disks are each provided with a rectangular recess 42, which recesses together normally engage with a fixed vertical post or key 23 anchored in the lower part of the housing 38. Coil springs 43 and 44 encircling the shaft 7 tend to urge the disks 21 and 22 toward one another and to thus cause engagement between the recesses 42 in the disks and the key or post 23. This arrangement serves to lock the mechanism since it prevents rotative movement of the shafts 7 and 6.

The flanges 41 serve to gauge the outside diameter of the coin 15a inserted in the entrance slot 15 and only if the coin is of the correct denomination Will the disks 21 and 22 be moved apart sufficiently to disengage the recesses 42 from the post or key 23 and allow rotative movement of the shafts 6 and 7.

When the slidable door 10 is manually elevated, the coin 15a may be inserted and on its entry into the coin slot 15 it will engage the pawls 20 as seen in FIG. 4. These pawls serve as feelers to gauge the thickness of the coin. If the coin is too thin the pawls will not be raised sufficiently by the coin to disengage the pawls from their engagement with the slot 37 nor allow rotation of the shafts 6 and 7. On the other hand, if the coin is too thick there will not be suflicient clearance between the lower ends of the pawls and the upper surface of the disks 21 and 22 to allow the coin to pass. Also, as long as the door It is in an elevated position, rotation of shafts 6 and 7 is prevented because the cam 18 on the door causes the lug 4% on the lever 17 to engage with the slot 37. It is therefore necessary that the door he in its lowered position, obtainableonly when there is no coin in the slot or when the coin 15a has been fully inserted, .as shown in FIG. 2, leaving no part of it protruding from the slot 15 and afiording the purchaser no opportunity to withdraw the coin. 1

When shafts 6 and 7 are rotated by manipulation of the handle 3, the coin-15a is positioned between the cylinder or drum 16 and the disks 21 and 22, will be moved inwardly into the casing 1 to fall into a suitable collection receptacle, not shown, but conveniently located in the lower part of the casing 1.

The shaft 6 is provided with an extended portion 46 (FIG. 1) carrying a pencil-delivery drum 26 which is slightly longer than the length of the pointed pencils 34 contained in the hopper 33, the delivery drum 26 being provided with a longitudinal slot 47 into which the pencils are received one at a time and carrried-to a point of ejection.

The pencils 34 may be of short length and small diameter so that the hopper holds a very substantial number,

say 500 of them. Of course, other writing implements,

such as ball-point pens might be used instead of pencils if desired. 'Upon each rotation of the drum 26, its slot 47 will pick up one pencil which will be carried under the flattened end of a spring-biased pawl 27, biased by the :spring 60 and pivotally mounted at 28 at the lower or outlet end of the hopper F33, and drop the pencil on a delivery shelf 48 accessible at the outside of the casrng l where the pencil is picked up by the purchaser. When the last pencil has been picked up after delivery and the hopper 33 is empty, as shown in FIG. 7, the pawl '27 will then engage in the empty slot 47 and will, by its movevment, rock shaft 28 in a manner to cause lug 40 on the .lever .17 to engage in an opening 50 in the door 10 as shown in FIG. 7, thus preventing the door 10 from being raised to render the coin slot 15 accessible for the insertion of a coin.

The paper to be dispensed is inserted in the machine in the form of a supply roll 51 (FIG. 1) having its core 52 received on a stationary rod or'spindle mounted on partition 32. The roll 51 is free to rotate on the rod or .spindle 5, and the web of paper 61 is drawn from the roll .51, and is introduced between delivery friction rolls 1-2 .and 13.

Roll 13 is mounted on spindle 13a and is the driving roll, the same being on an extension of the shaft 6. Roll 12 (FIG. 8) is an idle roll, the same being rotated by its contact with the roll 14, with the web 61 of paper interposed between the two rolls. The circumference of the driving roll v13 may be 3 inches and in such case a sheet of memorandum paper say, 2% to 3 inches will be delivered for each, coin deposit. The amount of paper on the supply roll can be substantial so that it will be of suificient length to provide a small piece of memorandum paper for each pencil in the hopper, with the paper being replenished each time that a supply of pencils is placed in the hopper.

From the foregoing, the operation of the improved paper and pencil vending machine will be readily understood. p

The securement of a sheet of memorandum paper and a pencil with which to write on it, merely requires the raising of the door to expose the coin spot the deposit of the coin 15a of proper denomination and the turning of the crank on the shaft 6. When the door 10 is manually raised, preparatory to the insertion of the coin, the cam 18 will cause lug 40 to engage in slot 37, and lowering of door 10 results in cam 18 freeing lever 17 from its engagement with the slot 37 in the cylinder or drum 16, and as the coin enters between the disks 21 and 22 and the cylinder or drum 16, it will free the pawls springs 43 and 44, thus freeing these disks from their engagement with the fixed key or post 23. With the parts positioned as shown in FIG. 4, the shaft may be turned by means of the handle 8, which'rotative movement of the shaft 6 will rotatively move the drum 26 and cause a pencil 34 to be dispensed onto the shelf 48. The rotative movement of the shaft 6 will also rotate the drive roll 13 and will cause a length of the paper web 61 to be fed simultaneously with the delivery of one of the pencils. .As seen in FIG. 8, one of the walls of the casing 1 is provided with a suitably positioned outlet slot 55 through which the paper is fed for securement by the purchaser, the upper edge 63 of the outlet slot being keen, and possibly serrated so that'the extended part of the paper web can be grasped and torn off, leaving a small part of the end of the paper web remaining in the slot preparatory to the next dispensing action. When the pencil contents of the hopper 33 aredepleted, the dog 27 will prevent turning of the shaft 6 and at the same time lever "17, having its lug 4t) entering the opening50 in therdoor will prevent access to the coin slot 15 by locking the door 10 against raising movement. a a

It will be observed when considering FIGS. 4 and 5 that as the shafts 6 and 7 are rotated in the direction inprising, a casing, a manually rotative shaft extending across the casing, a writing implement hopper within the casing and situated-above the shaft, a grooved drum on the shaft for receiving and delivering successive writing implements from the hopper, locking'means for entering the groove in the drum'when the hopper is empty of writing implements and holding the shaft against rotative movement, a paper supply roll rotatively mounted in the casing, feed rolls for feeding lengths ofpaper from the supply roll, one of the feed rolls being mounted on the shaft sothat rotative movement of the shaft will deliver a writing implement and a length of paper, a second shaft located between the first-mentioned shaft and the lower part of the casing, a gear drive between the shafts, the second shaft carrying a pair-of disks that are slidable axially of said second shaft, a spring means for biasing the disks toward one another, a fixed element located between the disks, the disks each having a recess for engagement with said fixed element to thereby hold the second shaft against rotative movement, and flanges on the disks with the fixed element to thereby permit rotative movement of both shafts.

2. In a vending machine, a coin passage,.a vertically .sliding door normally covering the entrance to said passage, an operating shaft for controlling the dispensing of paper and writing implements, primary locking means engaging the shaft and maintaining it against rotation while the door is in an elevated position and is uncovering the entrance to said passage, said means being disengaged from the shaft upon lowering movement of the door, secondary locking means engaging the shaft and preventing its rotation, said secondary locking'means being disengaged from the shaft on insertion of a coin in the coin passage, said secondary locking means comprising a second shaft disposed parallel to said operating shaft'and driven thereby, means for locking the second shaft against rotation including axially movable elements on said second shaft, and stationary means for engagement by said References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 461,461 Whiteside Oct. 20, 1891 837,702 Miller Dec. 4, 1906 1,045,514 Clawson Nov. 26, 1912 6 Klages Feb. 13, 1917 Webster Aug. 12, 1919 Tanner Dec. 22, 1925 Pease et a1 May 4, 1926 Nolan July 3, 1928 Switzer Nov. 9, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Mar. 11, 19:10 

